


Something Stronger

by lovelyavengers (fandomsandxfiles)



Series: From The SSR Case Files [8]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drinking, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27143278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsandxfiles/pseuds/lovelyavengers
Summary: Emotions are running high when Los Angeles is once again the site of trouble for the SSR. And an accidental love confession complicates things even more.
Relationships: Jack Thompson (Marvel)/Reader
Series: From The SSR Case Files [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1809622
Kudos: 16





	Something Stronger

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for [@cap-n-stuff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapNstuff)'s 500 follower writing challenge on tumblr. The fic can also be found on my tumblr writing blog [@fandomsandxfiles-writes](https://fandomsandxfiles-writes.tumblr.com/)
> 
> This is the longest Jack Thompson oneshot i've ever done, but i really like this one, so i hope you enjoy!

Every other agent stopped working when Jack Thompson emerged from his office and fixed his gaze on you. "L/N. My office. Now," he said, before closing the door again. A couple of the other agents gave you confused looks. You shrugged back at them, not sure why you were being called into the chief's office. Whatever it was, it mostly likely wasn't good. You and the chief had been at odds with each other since you transferred to the SSR's New York office last year.

You had originally been hired at the Los Angeles SSR, but ended up switching offices with Peggy after the Isodyne case. You had always wanted to move to New York when you were little, and when Peggy approached you with the idea of switching offices you immediately said yes. And this way, each of the SSR's offices had a female agent, which was good for two reasons: one, there was always someone to take on undercover missions that required a female agent, if any came up, and two, there was always someone to try and keep the other agents in line. And for the most part, you enjoyed working at the New York SSR. You could definitely do without the chief though.

_"I don't know how Sousa ran things over in Hollywood Agent, but in this office, I'm in charge! And that means you do what I tell you!"_

_"A good leader recognizes when he has made a mistake!" you said angrily. "Like it or not, I'm the one who salvaged the mission! So I don't see why you can't just swallow your pride this time."_

_"Because you disobeyed my direct orders!" he shouted. Even though the door was closed and the blinds were drawn, you were positive the other agents in the bullpen could hear your entire conversation. But you didn't care, because you knew you were right. "And last I checked, it isn't your name on the door over there, it's mine, so you need to take a seat and learn to respect those who outrank you! And if you don't like it, go back to LA for all I care."_

_"Maybe I will!" you shot back. "It would be worth it to never see your face again!"_

But you never did end up transferring back to LA. Maybe it was because you didn't want to have to call Peggy and tell you that couldn't deal with Jack Thompson, or maybe because you refused to let him think he won. So now you were focused on making his life a little more miserable, even if that just meant working in the same office as him.

You tentatively opened the door and stepped into the office, but you didn't take a seat. "You wanted to see me chief?" you said evenly. You weren't really in the mood for an argument today, if you were being completely honest with yourself.

"The LA office caught a case that apparently requires competent backup," the chief said, his tone civil. "Carter called and asked if I could spare you for a week or two, because they want your help."

You tried not to show your happiness on your face, but a small smile broke through anyway. "Of course," you said. "When do I leave?"

"According to LA, that's up to you," he said. "They're going to set up one of Stark's fancy private planes for you, this way you don't have to fly coach. You just have to call LA and tell them when you want to leave."

"And Peggy didn't say anything about the case itself?" you asked. "Just that she needed my help?"

"Nothing," the chief responded. "I wouldn't be surprised if she somehow found herself in the middle of something big though."

***

You wondered what Peggy had in store for you the entire time you were on the plane. You had spoken to her about a week ago and she hadn't mentioned anything about a big case, but something could have come up since then. When you finally walked into the Auerbach Theatrical Agency, you smiled at Rose, whose face lit up when she saw you. "Y/N you're back!" she said brightly. "What brings you to this side of the country?" 

"I'm not sure actually," you said. "I was just told that Peggy requested my help for a case they're working on, but I don't know anything more than that." 

"She didn't say anything about it to me, so I don't know either," Rose said, shrugging her shoulders. "I would just go through and ask, I think her and the chief are free right now." 

"I will, thanks Rose," you said as you walked through the rows of filing cabinets. After turning the handle on the door, the wall opened and you were able to go through to the bullpen. Some of the agents smiled at you when you walked through, but some of them you didn't recognize. You didn't see Peggy at her desk, so you knocked on the chief's door and waited for him to say that you could come in. 

"Hey Y/N!" Daniel said as you opened the door. Peggy was sitting in one of the chairs across from the desk, and she smiled and started to stand up when she saw you. "How was the flight?" 

"It was good," you said as you gave Peggy a hug and sat down in the other chair. "I'm glad to be back in LA for sure, I missed this place." 

"How is everyone at the New York office?" Peggy asked. 

"Mostly good," you said. "I think I like it better out here though." 

"Jack still giving you trouble?" Daniel asked with a smile. 

"Yeah," you admitted. "He gets on my nerves all the time, and we end up arguing at least once a week." 

"I could tell from our conversation over the phone last week," Peggy laughed. "Even though you were trying to hold your tongue." 

"I think he was making me angrier than usual on that day," you said. "Sorry." 

"I'm sure Jack deserved it," Peggy smiled. "And we thought we could give you a little break by requesting your help." 

"Yeah, I think he was pissed that you didn't tell him more about the case," you said. "What's going on?" 

Daniel spoke for the first time in a while. "Honestly? Nothing. Peggy thought you could use some time away from New York. You don't even have to help us around here." 

"Really?" you asked, surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Howard has graciously offered you a room in his mansion for as long as you are here, and he has a wonderful swimming pool to relax in," Peggy said. 

You raised your eyebrows. "You really called me all the way out here so I could do nothing? You know Thompson's not going to like that." 

"That's why he doesn't know," Peggy said, a mischievous smile on her face. "We'll handle Jack, but I doubt he's going to be an issue. He is on the other side of the country after all." 

You gracefully thanked Peggy and Daniel, excited to have some time off. The fact that the SSR was technically going to be paying you to lay out next to Howard Stark's swimming pool made you incredibly happy, but you made sure that both Peggy and Daniel knew that if something came up and they needed your help that all they had to do was ask. 

Peggy waved you off with a "yeah yeah," and you gave Daniel a look. He nodded, and soon you were in a cab, ready to start your vacation. 

You were feeling bad about not actually working, that is, until you arrived at Howard Stark's mansion. You had been there before, during the Isodyne case, but you hadn't really gotten a chance to look around and appreciate the interior decor in the midst of the potential end of the world. Jarvis took you on a tour of the house and grounds, and barely two hours after arriving you were laying on a lounge chair next to the swimming pool, eyes closed under large sunglasses. You could get used to this. 

You eventually moved the chair under the shady canopy, but you didn't even realize that you had fallen asleep until you heard your name being called several times. Blinking your eyes open, you noticed that Peggy and Daniel were standing over you. "Hey guys," you yawned. "How was work?" 

"I'm afraid we may have to cut your vacation short," Peggy said. "Because we just got word that Dottie Underwood may have been spotted in town, and if we want to catch her, we're going to need all the help we can get." 

"Well I guess we won't be lying to Thompson then," you said as you got up out of your lounge chair.

"I guess not," Daniel said, a small smile forming on his face. 

It looks like you weren't going to be spending as much time next to the pool as you thought. 

***

The next few days were spent in and out of the LA office, your time consumed with digging through every single file the office had, to see if you could find anything of use. So far though, you were coming up with nothing. This case was especially important, because not only were you looking to catch Dottie Underwood, but Peggy also had her sights set on collapsing and exposing the corruption of the council of nine, which had apparently regrouped since Whitney dissolved several of their members. Time seemed to fly by as you poured over the files, and Peggy and Daniel were often shooing you out just before they locked up to go home, telling you to go get some sleep. 

And then the world was shaken up a little bit. You were sitting in Daniel's office with him and Peggy one afternoon, discussing the best way to proceed in the case, when the phone rang. "Sousa," Daniel picked up. You couldn't hear the other end of the line, but your interest was piqued when you watched the smile drop from his face. 

After speaking a few quick affirmations he hung up, and Peggy looked at him quizzically. "What was that about?" 

He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, the office door swung open. The three of you turned your heads, and your eyes widened when Jack Thompson stepped into the room and shut the door. "Look at the four of us," he said. "Solving crimes, together again." 

The three of you were silent, and you had no idea how to react. You and Daniel exchanged shocked looks, and Peggy recovered first. "To what do we owe you for this absolutely appalling surprise?" she asked. 

"You said that last time," Jack didn't answer her question, instead choosing to raise his eyebrows while he looked at the three of you and your shocked faces. 

"It doesn't make the statement any less true," Daniel said, and you saw a slight scowl cross Jack's face. "So why are you here?" 

"You're chasing Dottie Underwood right?" Jack asked. "You're going to need all the help you can get." 

"I don't see how much help you'll be," you muttered. "After all, you got yourself shot the last time you were in LA." 

You saw Peggy try and hold back a smile, but Jack was not amused. "You know what Agent?" he asked. "I'm still your direct superior, so whether you're in this office or New York, I can fire you." 

You rolled your eyes at that. "Why don't you?" you challenged, calling his bluff. You knew he wouldn't say anything else, but even if he did actually fire you, you could probably just pick up and work permanently at the LA office if you needed to. 

Thompson opened his mouth, but Peggy cut him off. "Behave, you two," she said sternly. 

You stifled a laugh at that. Jack looked disgruntled, but he shut up. Now you were hoping more than ever to find something that could wrap the case up neatly, because what you once thought was going to be a relaxing poolside vacation was quickly turning into a walking nightmare. 

***

Jack became a permanent fixture in the LA SSR, at least for the time being. At first, Peggy managed to keep him out of her way by sending him out on errands of questionable relevance. It was only after you started to get out of the office and try to catch a glimpse of Dottie on the streets did he catch on to the fact that he was being played. Then he started inviting himself on your outings through town, which you didn't understand, not only because he hated you but also because he wasn't familiar with Los Angeles at all. "He's useless!" you complained to Peggy one night when her and Daniel were over Howard's for dinner. "All he does is complain that I don't let him drive, which then takes my focus off the road when I try to explain to him that I'm driving because I grew up here and I know the area better than he does!" 

Daniel stifled a laugh. He knew that neither you or Jack enjoyed your current situation, and that it was only a matter of time before one of you killed the other. "What do we do with him then?" Peggy asked. "It's not like any of us actually wanted his help, he showed up here out of nowhere." 

"You're damn right about that," Daniel said. "I thought we were done getting surprise visits from him after the Isodyne case wrapped up." 

"I guess we just have to solve this case and get him back in New York where he belongs," Peggy said. "But then Y/N will have to go back too." 

"Don't remind me," you said. "I'm already thinking about taking some actual vacation after this case, that is if Thompson and I don't kill each other first." 

Peggy laughed out loud at your declaration. "You really should just transfer back to LA," she said. "I know we switched places so if something came up in New York that needed a female agent they could handle it, but have you really had _any_ cases like that since you transferred to New York in the first place?"

You shook your head. "No, and I've just had to deal with agents who can't be bothered to do their own paperwork and a chief that I knock heads with almost every day. The only silver lining is at least the chief does his own paperwork." 

***

Most days you came home from your so-called stakeouts with nothing but a sour mood, usually brought on by the fact that you were stuck in a car for several hours a day with a man who you couldn't stand, and who despised you just as much. And it was much worse when you were actually parked somewhere to observe, because you couldn't pretend to focus on driving so you didn't have to answer him. 

This day in particular started out like any other, with you and Jack sitting in your parked car about a block away from an abandoned warehouse, waiting to see if you could catch a glimpse of Dottie and confirm where she was hiding. And as always, you were engaged in what could be posited as a favorite pastime of yours: arguing with each other. This time, it was over the fact that you didn't understand why he was out in LA in the first place. "I still don't know why you're even here!" 

"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation!" he shot back. "If we're dealing with Underwood you're going to need all the help you can get, and especially someone who's dealt with her before!" 

"But we didn't ask for you to fly over from New York and try to take charge, and right now you're more of a hindrance than a help!" 

"It's my job as chief to catch criminals, so excuse me for doing what's best for the case!" 

"No, 'your job' isn't to catch criminals," you practically shouted. "All you do is sit in your office all day, scream at people for doing things _you told them to do_ , and drink all the coffee in the office. I get that you miss the glory days when your job actually was to catch the bad guys, but the best thing you could do right now is leave us alone!" 

You could see him get visibly angrier. "Agent L/N I swear-" 

But you cut him off when you spotted a woman who looked like Dottie exit the warehouse and drive off in a black car. "Shut up!" you hissed, pointing at the car that was sitting there moments ago. You quickly started to drive in the direction that the car disappeared in, but it was lost in the masses of Los Angeles traffic. The two of you drove silently for another half hour, but with no avail. No sign of Dottie, you started to make your way back to the office. It wasn't until you pulled into the SSR that either of you spoke again. 

"Well we at least know she's here," Jack said calmly. 

It took all your strength not to lean over and throttle him for that comment. "Yeah, why don't you be the one to tell Peggy that?" you said sarcastically. "Seeing as this whole mess is because of you anyway." 

**"How is this my fault?"** he asked, a shocked look on his face. "You're the one who couldn't keep up with the car!" 

"I'm the one who spotted Underwood in the first place!" you said loudly. "And if you had actually shut up and not shouted at me, maybe we'd have her in custody right now!" 

"You're not innocent in this either!" he shouted. "So why don't you stop acting like this is entirely my fault and grow up for a change!" 

You couldn't even respond to that, instead choosing to get out of the car before you took out your gun and shot him. After closing the car door a little harder than you should have, you walked into the SSR, trying to just focus on your breathing. Maybe then you wouldn't end up in jail for murder. 

***

After that disaster of a stakeout, you stayed in the office. Peggy took your place driving around the city with Jack, and you took over all of the paperwork. You felt bad for Peggy, because she had to deal with Jack, but at the same time you still didn't understand why they thought it was fine to let you and Jack work together at all, seeing how much you hated each other. 

You also started to work on the case after hours more as well, and Peggy and Daniel were frequent guests in Howard's house. The three of you could be found working during all hours of the night, pouring over borrowed SSR files and dozens of newspapers, looking for the smallest hint of a clue that might lead you to Dottie Underwood's whereabouts. 

One night, Peggy and Daniel arrived after going out to dinner, and they immediately dropped onto the couch. "Ate too much?" you asked with a smile.

"No, just tired," Daniel said. "It's been a long week." 

You nodded right as Peggy got up again and started to walk towards the door. "What's wrong?" you asked. 

"I forgot the pile of files I wanted to look through at the SSR," she said. "I left them on my desk."

You got up and walked over to her. "Don't worry about it, I'll go get them," you said. 

"Are you sure?" 

"You're tired, I'm sure," you said. "And besides, it'll give me a little break from looking through all those newspapers." 

Peggy gratefully agreed, and soon you were back at the SSR office. Grabbing the stack of files off Peggy's desk, you had turned to leave when you heard mumbling coming from Daniel's office. You tiptoed over there and pushed the door open slowly to reveal Jack Thompson, who sitting in Daniel's chair and drinking whiskey right from the bottle, muttering to himself. You didn't want to deal with him at this point, especially if he was drunk. 

But then you thought you heard him say your name. "Thompson?" you said, standing in the doorway of the chief's office. 

Jack took a big swig from the bottle of whiskey before speaking. "No, not you," he said, slurring slightly. "Y/N. I said Y/N." 

You raised your eyebrows in shock, he was definitely way past drunk. "I'm here," you said, but you knew he wasn't going to comprehend it. "What do you want to say to Y/N?" 

"That I'm in love with her," Jack said, and your heart nearly stopped beating. "I only pretend like I hate her so she doesn't suspect anything, but I'm so in love with her. That's why I'm here, because I heard they were chasing Dottie Underwood and I knew I had to protect Y/N. If something happened to her, I don't know what I'd do."

You didn't know what to say. How should you have reacted, finding out that the man you have been at odds with since you met has secretly been harboring a crush on you the entire time? You hoped with all you had that he didn't realize you were standing in front of him, when he just confessed to being in love with you. "Are you sure?" was what you ended up saying. 

"I've never been more sure of any-thing," he said, drawing out his words. "But don't tell Y/N that, okay? I want to tell her myself, and kiss her and ask her to marry me."

Your eyes widened even more, if that was possible. "Okay," you said, slowly backing out of the room. You grabbed the stack of files you were bringing to Peggy and got the hell out of there, mind running at a thousand miles per hour. Hopefully he doesn't remember anything he said tomorrow, because you really didn't want to have that conversation. 

You barely registered the drive home, and you tried to not let any of your shock show on your face when you handed Peggy her files. You were having a hard time focusing after the bombshell Jack dropped on you in the office, and Peggy noticed that something was up. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Did something happen?" 

You quickly shook your head. "I'm just tired," you said. Thankfully, she let the subject go and you didn't have to explain why you were really feeling confused and out of it. 

***

Peggy and Daniel ended up staying over at Howard's that night, so the three of you arrived at work together the next day. You never told them about Jack, who had probably never left last night. You were the first agents in the building (not counting Thompson), so it wasn't too bad when Peggy and Daniel walked into the chief's office and stopped short in the doorway. You walked up behind them and peeked over Peggy's shoulder to see Jack, who was (surprisingly) actually awake, sitting at Daniel's desk chair reading through some files. You could tell that he never went back to his hotel though. The bottle of whiskey was still right next to him, his clothes were slightly disheveled, and he looked dead tired. "Jack, what are you doing?" Peggy asked.

"I'm fine," he mumbled in response. The alcohol seemed like it had worn off, because he wasn't slurring his words anymore, but now he had one hell of a hangover. 

"You're clearly not," Daniel said. "Why don't you go back to the hotel and sleep? We can handle everything for one day." 

"I said I'm fine." 

"Jack, listen to me," Peggy said. "It is painfully obvious that you need to go and sleep, so either sleep in your hotel bed or we are locking you in a storage closet. Why are you even still here? What happened last night?" 

Your heart stopped as Peggy asked him that. Was he going to remember the fact that he admitted to being in love with you while he was incredibly drunk? Was he going to realize that you were the person he admitted his darkest secret to, and that he didn't even recognize you? 

"I don't know," Jack said quietly. "I can't remember anything." 

Internally, you heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't remember admitting to being in love with you, but that didn't mean you could forget it. How were you going to live with this new knowledge? You couldn't talk to him about it either, because it wasn't like the two of you had a friendly relationship. And what if you were reading too much into it? What if he didn't actually feel this way and what you stumbled upon was just a drunken ramble that doesn't mean a thing? There was no other option for you but to keep quiet about it, unless you wanted to damage your relationship with him even more. 

Jack eventually realized that Peggy was probably serious about locking him in a storage closet if he didn't leave, so he packed up his stuff and started to walk towards the door. He was so hungover and tired that he didn't even make any snide comments at you, something he would never have given up the chance to on any other day. 

After that day, Jack acted differently around everybody, even you. He kept to himself, did things that were actually useful, and the two of you rarely argued. When you did speak to him, the exchanges were kept short, and it was always awkward. You almost preferred to go back to the way things used to be, because at least the conversations flowed better, even if you were yelling at each other. You wondered if he did actually remember his drunken confession to you and he wasn't saying anything, and that was why he was acting like this. 

And speaking of his confession, you couldn't get it out of your head. You thought constantly about his words. And the worst part was, you were starting to like him back. There was no denying that the chief was attractive, but before you could always hide behind the excuse that he hated you, but now you knew that apparently wasn't the case. Part of you wanted to say something to him, to see if he really meant what he said. But you never acted on that, instead choosing to suffer in silence. 

One day you finally caught a clue about Dottie's whereabouts, and luckily she had never moved from the warehouse she was squatting in. The biggest problem was the fact that she spotted you one day as you were walking by the building. You had never met the assassin before, but she was observant enough to notice the outline of a gun in your blazer pocket and put two and two together. She took off into the building, and you sprinted after her. It didn't even cross your mind that Peggy and Daniel had no idea where you were, because you were consumed with only one thought: catching Dottie Underwood. 

She stumbled over a hole in the floor and you were able to catch up to her, but your joy was short-lived. Because right then and there, she pulled out a gun and shot you in the leg. You dropped to the ground as your leg gave out, and you could do nothing but watch as Dottie walked up to you, smiled in the most threatening way possible, and knocked you out with the heel of her boot. 

***

When you didn't come back to the SSR before everyone left, Peggy was starting to get worried. Her, Daniel, and Jack paced around the office as they waited for you to walk back through the door, hopefully to explain why you had taken so long. Jack was more on edge than any of them, for reasons Peggy didn't quite understand, but she didn't have time to think about. Eventually, the three of them decided to drive around the city to try and find you, because it wasn't like you to disappear like this. 

It was Jack's idea to check the warehouse, and you were lucky that Peggy and Daniel didn't try and argue with him, because a lot of time had already passed for you. When they saw you, bleeding out and unconscious, gun on the floor next to you, they immediately jumped into action. Time stood still, and no one let out a breath until the ambulance had come to take you to the hospital. 

Sitting in the waiting room was torture. There they were, dirty and covered in blood, obsessively watching every doctor and nurse that passed by, hoping for news about your condition. When they were finally allowed to get a glimpse of you, the three of them crowded in your room. Your breathing was steady, the doctors told Peggy. You had a small concussion, but the bullet missed the bone and the major arteries. With a little rest and healing, you would be fine. The doctors ushered the three of them out of the room and told them to go home. Dejectedly, they obeyed. 

You didn't open your eyes for another day and a half, and when you did, everything was blurry. You were in the hospital, and the room was filled with sunlight. You looked around, definitely not expecting to see Chief Thompson camped out on a chair in the corner of the room. He was fast asleep, his neck bent in an uncomfortable position, and you weren't sure if you should wake him or not. You were more confused about why he was even here in the first place, because outside of his drunken confession that night in the office, you were 99% sure he didn't like you. 

You shuffled your legs as much as you could; being stuck in bed for this long was uncomfortable. At the sound of the sheets rustling, Jack's eyes shot open and he practically jumped out of the chair. "You're awake," he breathed, not quite sure what to do now. 

"Yeah, I'm awake," you croaked out. Your voice was scratchy, from not being used for so long. 

"I'll get the doctor," he said, and moments later he was gone. You weren't alone for long though, because barely a second went by before an arsenal of doctors and nurses were walking into the room. They poked and prodded at you, and you just laid back and did what you were told. When they all started to leave, you looked around the room for Jack, only to come up empty. The last nurse must have seen you looking, because she patted you on the shoulder and smiled. "I'll tell your husband that he can come back in dear, this way you can see him." 

"He's not my-" you started to say, but she was already too far away to hear you. "Husband," you finished the sentence, even though you knew she wouldn't hear you. But if you were being completely honest, maybe that statement was more for yourself. 

You hoped that Jack had left the hospital for good, that he was just there to make sure you didn't die in your medicinal coma, and now that you were awake his job was done. But lo and behold, a few moments later he came walking back into the room. "How are you feeling?" he asked awkwardly. 

"Like I got run over by a truck." 

"The doctors said that you're going to be okay," Jack said. "They gave you some painkillers to help calm you down, but you'll be fine." 

You nodded, already feeling sleepy. Sure enough, seconds later you were out cold. 

When you woke up a second time, Jack had moved the chair directly next to your bed, and he was talking to himself. You quickly closed your eyes again, hoping that he didn't notice you were awake. Then you tried to hear what he was saying. 

"And I can't lose you again, you know, the blood, I couldn't bear it," he was muttering. "And I know you hate me, but I can't stop thinking about you." 

Of course you were going to have to deal with this right now. Like last time, you could just pretend that you didn't hear anything, but it would only leave you with more questions than answers. So you kept listening. 

"Y/N I don't know how to tell you that I'm in love with you, because you would literally punch me in the face," he said. 

Maybe it was the pain medicine, but that's when you decided to enter the conversation. "I already knew," you said, opening your eyes to look at him. Jack was shocked, and he didn't respond. "I heard you confess your love to me that night when you were drunk off your ass in the office." 

"I said that? Why didn't you say anything?" 

"What would you have wanted me to say?" you asked him. "Hey Chief, you thought I was someone else and admitted your undying love for me while you were so drunk that you could barely speak? If I had walked up to you and said that, what would you have done? Honestly?" 

He was silent. "You still should have said something," he eventually decided on. 

"Do you know what it was like?" you said. "To be so confused that you didn't even know if you heard right? What if it just a drunken ramble, and it was just unlucky me who your brain filled in the blank that day? And it wasn't like it was something we could laugh at if I was wrong." 

"I'm sorry," he said, and that threw you for a loop. "If it made you uncomfortable, I didn't mean to. If you want to transfer to LA permanently so you don't have to work with me, I understand." 

Oh. He thought you didn't reciprocate his feelings. "No!" you blurted out. "I like you too, I was just terrified that you were just drunk and it didn't mean anything." 

He shook his head and reached for your hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it, instead choosing to lean in closer to you. "Can I kiss you?" he eventually said, looking down at your lips. 

You nodded, not trusting yourself to speak. Seconds later his lips were on yours, and it was pure bliss. You kissed back, not caring about anything else. When you finally broke apart, you were slightly out of breath. "I take it you're going to come back to New York with me? When you're healed of course." 

You smiled at him and reached out for his hand. He took your outstretched hand and raised it up to his lips, placing a soft kiss on your fingers. "Yeah," you said. "I'm coming back to New York." 

You had never seen a bigger smile cross Jack's face, and you were smiling equally as wide. 

***

When you actually got back to New York, you elected to keep your relationship a secret from the other agents, mainly because you didn't want to have to explain why the two of you left for Los Angeles hating each other, and returned to New York as boyfriend and girlfriend. The most difficult part of this was finding time to be together during the work day. Jack had taken to dropping notes on your desk with times and places, just so you could get some alone time. You rolled your eyes and chastised him for PDA, but secretly you didn't care. It was a lot better than the relationship you used to have with him.

You weren't always as subtle as you thought you were though. Agent Spencer just rolled his eyes every time he watched the chief leave "for a meeting" and then you would excuse yourself "to the powder room" barely a minute later. He kept your little secret though, mostly because he didn't think any of the other agents in the building had realized. They barely batted an eyelash when Jack told them that he had to stay in Los Angeles because you had gotten shot and needed time to heal, and no one else questioned the fact that you and the chief didn't seem to get on each other's nerves all that much anymore. If they couldn't notice that, they definitely wouldn't have realized that the two of you were actually together. 

He sometimes thought about confronting the two of you, but never actually did. He did decide though, that he would tell you that he'd known all along if he ever saw an engagement ring on your finger. Maybe then the two of you would invite him to the wedding. 

_\- the end -_


End file.
